If there was a Pinterest board made to represent me, I think I could make a pretty accurate guess as to what would be on it. Maybe like, Bella Hadid-esque, slightly ugly-weird fashion (which I like to try and do a watered down version of); funky nails, definitely. And then memes: probably a 50/50 split of people having breakdowns and then the rest living their best lives. The meme of the guy sitting in his pond, surrounded by greenery – “unbothered, moisturised, happy in my lane, focused, flourishing” – that has to be in my top five. That guy is a whole vibe.
I joined Flying Object when I was 23, four years ago, as the youngest member of staff. Which meant that I quite quickly became something of an office memes generator, alongside my other duties. I have to say: this wasn’t out of my remit. My twin, Naomi, and I basically communicate in memes, so much so that we have a shared meme library called ‘twin trauma dump’; my friends also have a huge shared folder full of them. I have around 450 saved in my own personal folder on my phone. It’s called ‘memes that saved my life’.
Long before I became a Meme Manager, I got my first job by telling the company they had spelling mistakes in their listing when I applied. The job description specified that successful candidates should have good attention to detail and I thought, maybe this is a bit of a test. I pointed out the mistakes and got a call to go in for an interview more or less immediately. The vacancy was for an internship at a film trailer production company, but when I got there it turned out the guy interviewing me was leaving. I was offered a chance to try out for his job, working front of house. It turned out to be a great job – I was working with huge companies like Fox, learning about creative advertising.
It was there I realised that I wanted to be a producer. I found myself really interested in how the trailers were made, the project management behind it, mixed with the creativity that producers still had. I left my first job in search of opportunities to progress and build my skills in that area and, after a brief stint at a photography studio which left me unfulfilled and a bit listless, I came across Flying Object.
I’ve found that I really thrive when I know what the next step is. I’ve always been like that – I’m not someone who is super-focused on a five-year plan, but I’m invested in what I’m doing in the here and now, and what I can do next. And, at Flying Object, that clear path of progression – focusing on one step after another – has really worked for me. I joined as an assistant, before being promoted to a junior producer and, now, a mid-weight. Since then I’ve worked on so many projects, from Dating Twitter to Spotlight Sessions for KEF, and have recently produced a social campaign for Plum.
There’s definitely been a big change in my confidence in the last few years. When I was younger, I was always really outspoken – I said what I thought at all times, sometimes to the point that it would almost get me in trouble. Going to university, where I studied film & moving image production, I found myself getting a bit more reserved, and since then, like most people I suppose, I’ve been trying to find a balance. In the beginning of my career I apologised for everything, all the time – I think that’s something that loads of women go through when they enter the workplace. It took a bit of time to get out of that habit, but now I feel confident asserting myself. I’d say that’s down to being part of a team where my opinion is valued and listened to, and where I’m able to be myself.
Right now, my Pinterest board would have a mix of things on the agenda. Outside of work I’m quite into learning about the process of lost wax carving, and baking. I’d really like to do a bit more travelling in the next few years – maybe around Asia and South America. Until then I’ll be channelling my pond guy: unbothered, moisturised, happy in my lane, focusing, flourishing. There really is a meme for everything.
